Calling all Lords of Solarwood! Following on from our hugely successful Alpha Playtest, we're excited to announce our Alpha Land Sale!

The level of interest we've seen from our community has been truly remarkable, making now the perfect time to secure your piece of the [stunning Solarwood landscape](https://embersword.com/nations/solarwood).

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2iMqELuKt_Q?si=k_bk3q5q1tME0nGl" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

_Alpha Land Sale Announcement Video._

## Legends Forged Together

[Ember Sword](http://www.embersword.com/) is an open-world MMORPG, which seamlessly fuses the best elements from gaming classics with the latest technological advancements and mesmerising narrative design. Developed using our groundbreaking proprietary engine technology, Ember Sword delivers a frictionless gaming experience on nearly any device, inviting players to plunge into its captivating universe whenever and wherever they choose.

We are fusing MOBA-inspired, mechanically fun combat with a dynamic class system, to give players the opportunity to craft a play style which is uniquely their own; and every login feels fresh thanks to dynamic RNG dungeons akin to rogue-likes, and evolving landscapes shaped and built by the players themselves.

By modernising and prioritising social interactions, often neglected in modern massively multiplayer games, Ember Sword revitalises the core spirit of games that shaped an entire generation, assuring an unforgettable gaming journey for a new wave of MMO players.

## A Land of Forests, Mountains and Magic

Solarwood, the first part of our game world realised, is a verdant and vibrant realm governed by the Academic Federation and led by Headmaster Dalcor Kritana from the epicenter of academic prowess at Burkhalter's Academy. Balancing the demands of the academics with the needs of their general populace, as well as the requirements that come with loyalty to the Republic is no easy task and this fragile equilibrium stands on the brink of a stern test, as war drums echo with the impending campaign against Sevrend.

Solarwood is a rich blend of diverse landscapes, each distinct in industry and inhabited by a colourful spectrum of residents, unraveling a world ripe for exploration and rich in unfolding narratives, compelling quests, enthralling dungeons and adrenaline filled PvP arenas.

We're going to share our vision for the LAND of Solarwood and give you the details on how to get your hands on a piece of gaming history!

## Demand Far Beyond Expectations

Our previous Solarwood Land Sale sold out completely in a matter of hours, with the community pledging more than $200M for future sales --- **so we encourage those who are interested to be ready to act fast!**

Last time around we introduced an industry-first community application process. We chose this approach to ensure that those players who would become landowners were committed to creating the best experience possible for themselves and those players who interact with their plots.

Land ownership comes with many benefits, and our applicants are able to give us the feedback for how they would like to utilize the land and capitalize on their social features, making the landscape exciting for everyone who plays Ember Sword.

For this Alpha Land Sale, we will offer **two different approaches** to purchasing land, more on this to follow.

## Understanding Ember Sword Land Ownership

![1_xddT50GhHorahoJcUgFT0g.webp](/cms/images/1_xdd_T50_Gh_Horaho_Jc_Ug_FT_0g_b27dc93f79.webp)

_Example City Plot in Ember Sword._

Ember Sword Land is unique in that it is directly tied into the gameplay, with the distinct goal of making the game better for everyone . No matter which plot you choose, you will play a critical role in shaping the bustling landscape. Settlement owners and above will be able to place various buildings and provide a range of services which will enhance the experience for other players and help you attract them to your plots. Town and City plots come with a huge amount of exciting features. You have the opportunity to not only shape your unique corner of the world, but also be rewarded for your effort.

Land in Ember Sword is represented by unique, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the size of a plot of land is roughly equivalent to the size of a player's screen during gameplay.

## Types of Land Plots Available

### Regular Plots --- 1x1

![1_4VsZ-jT0kv5ka_deBgqaWQ.webp](/cms/images/1_4_Vs_Z_j_T0kv5ka_de_Bgqa_WQ_475579a002.webp)

_Example Regular Plot._

* Title: Sir or Lady
* 1x Per Plot Multiplier For Shared Ownership Rewards

Do you aspire to earn the title of a **_Sir or a Lady_**? If so, you can easily get your hands on any number of Regular Plots of land in Solarwood. This land is perfect for those players who want to share in the rewards, but want to put less time into land ownership. Not only does this land give you bragging rights, but it also comes with a **x1 Per Plot Multiplier** for shared ownership rewards in Ember Sword.

### Settlements --- 1x1

![1_4NWoRcJITMPIcTnfEWi2Dw.webp](/cms/images/1_4_N_Wo_Rc_JITMP_Ic_Tnf_E_Wi2_Dw_125650e07a.webp)

_Example Settlement Plot._

* Title: Baron or Baroness
* Build Tier 1 buildings
* Player quests
* 10x Per Plot Multiplier For Shared Ownership Rewards

Do you seek a **_Baron or Baroness_** title? Look at you climbing up the ladder! These Settlement Plot landowners know how to keep up appearances with the option to place Tier 1 buildings of their choice --- which players won't be able to resist visiting. You will also be able to give players quests. With all these attractions, you will be well rewarded with a **10x Per Plot Multiplier** for shared ownership rewards in Ember Sword.

### Town --- 2x2

![1_S4HSPnBnfQ3wTDvK5vIhLQ.webp](/cms/images/1_S4_HS_Pn_Bnf_Q3w_T_Dv_K5v_Ih_LQ_31aacf20d0.webp)

_Example Town Plot._

* Town --- 2x2
* Title Earl or Countess
* Premium Shop Rewards
* Spawn player quests
* Tier 2 buildings + Premium Shop
* 50x Per Plot Multiplier For Shared Ownership Rewards

For the players who know what they want and how to get it, you would be after the title of **_Earl or Countess_**. You have just acquired yourself an entire Town. Good for you! You love to attract attention to your land, and are able to do so with Tier 2 buildings, and the ability of creating quests. Your premium shop will offer the finest goods in the land plus you are also rewarded with a **50x Per Plot Multiplier** for shared ownership rewards in Ember Sword.

### City --- 4x4

![1_SSnfiH9lhqN1DXLlNvGKCQ.webp](/cms/images/1_S_Snfi_H9lhq_N1_DX_Ll_Nv_GKCQ_16584b5046.webp)

_Example City Plot._

For the avid entrepreneurs, by acquiring this land you will earn the right to the highly respected and coveted title of **_Duke or Duchess_**. Players will not be able to stay away from your mammoth, sprawling City Plots. Your bustling area will give you the ability to place Tier 3 buildings and issue player quests. City owners are granted a whopping **125x Per Plot Multiplier** for shared ownership rewards in Ember Sword PLUS your premium shops will offer the finest goods in the land giving you loads of opportunities to prosper!

Buildings on settlement plots, town plots and city plots are likely to include choices such as guild houses, armoury, taverns or crafting stations. Questing could include PVE, Harvesting and or crafting missions. Premium Shops which will offer things like name changes, player appearance changes etc. More on this to be announced soon!

To read more about Land Ownership please visit our [White Paper](https://embersword.com/whitepaper).

## Summary

![1_MXf2Td8SqagL4IEfw-kpSQ.webp](/cms/images/1_M_Xf2_Td8_Sqag_L4_I_Efw_kp_SQ_ea039122c7.webp)

_Land Ownership Overview._
> 
> Note: All multipliers are per plot. Vendors and buildings are in development and are subject to change.

## How Player Interactions Get Distributed To Land Owners

For example: A player walks into a nearby plot of land and sees there's a building with a collectible for sale that they own. They sell it for roughly $100 worth of EMBER tokens.

![1_FngKUmR3r8XwDBw-hzuRfw.webp](/cms/images/1_Fng_K_Um_R3r8_Xw_D_Bw_hzu_Rfw_6f20bfa31f.webp)

_Ember Sword --- Land Distribution Model_

Fees are roughly broken down with 93% to the player, and the remaining 7% broken down as follows:

* Landowners receive a distribution of 3.5%, 1% of which goes into a global reward (for all land owners) and 2.5% is given to landowners in the local area of the transaction pool.
* 3.5% Goes to Bright Star Studios to help further fund the gameplay experience.

When it comes to distributing rewards, different plot types have different token reward multipliers as shown in the table below:

![1_42uxoFwhIX0tUFZdZyj2Ug.webp](/cms/images/1_42uxo_Fwh_IX_0t_UF_Zd_Zyj2_Ug_30dd9c989e.webp)

_Ember Sword Land Type Multipliers._

## What are the costs for each wave of the Land Sale?

![1_KkFX43NgocOrfwYHqjDEtg.webp](/cms/images/1_Kk_FX_43_Ngoc_Orfw_Y_Hqj_D_Etg_8efcac3761.webp)

## How to participate in the Alpha Land Sale

There will be **TWO** opportunities to participate in the Alpha Land Sale. In total, we will be offering a limited amount of plots for Solarwood.

![1_uXNUo3Bd8MgJtVCwkrownA.webp](/cms/images/1_u_XN_Uo3_Bd8_Mg_Jt_V_Cwkrown_A_cb33055ed2.webp)

_Land Sale --- Opportunities To Purchase._

**Wave 1** is by application ONLY and will give you the opportunity to tell us why you want the land, how you intend to use it, and most importantly, ensure that you are interested in making Solarwood's landscape a bustling world with lots of activity! We will select those applications which most closely align with our core values for the game and, of course, **prioritize those loyal community members who have been with us since the start --- our Badge holders**. You also get the best available 25% discount!

You will be notified if your application is successful via email, and will be able to select the plot of land of your choice from the interactive map on our website. Make sure you don't delay as **you will have 7 days to complete your purchase!**

## WAVE 1--25% Discount
> 
> 10th July --- Applications Submissions open at 1pm CEST
> 
> 13th July --- Applications close at 1pm CEST
> 
> 21st July Applicants Notified
> 
> 24th-30th July Purchase Window \*please note --- if you do not claim your land within this timeframe, your land will be released to the next wave for open sale\*

Wave 2 is first come first serve and will come with a 15% discount for those who are participating. You will be able to freely choose the amount of land you want and the location of the land which is still available.

## WAVE 2 (15% Discount)
> 
> Open from the 31st July
> 
> Open Sale --- No application required
> 
> Open land sale for remaining available land plots with purchase price discounted at 15% of full price

## Step by step guide on how to participate:

Wave 1:

* Step 1 --- Register for your account
* Step 2 --- Click on the Land Sale application image on the website
* Step 3 --- Fill out your application
* Step 4 --- Hit 'submit' button

That's it! We will review your application and let you know if you have been successful and next steps to take within x working days from the time you submitted your application.

Wave 2:

* Step 1 --- Ensure you have an IMX-enabled wallet and that it has sufficient funds
* Step 2 --- Register for your account
* Step 3 --- Click on the Land Sale image on the website (insert picture of the website journey)
* Step 4 --- Select the amount of plots you would like to acquire and the type of plot you want.
* Step 5 --- Connect your wallet and checkout

For step by step videos on how to purchase you land, please visit our [FAQ](https://embersword.com/#alpha-land-sale-faq).

## Technical Details

The LAND is a non-fungible and highly scarce ERC721 asset that resides on [ImmutableX](https://www.immutable.com/play/ember-sword) (L2) on Ethereum, and can be sold or traded to anyone. It can be acquired at any point during official Ember Sword land sales on our website or on whitelisted secondary marketplaces.

The Ember Sword on-chain ERC20 utility token is called EMBER, which is also used to trade the ERC721 collectibles, and can also be used to make in-game purchases. EMBER is not yet launched --- stay up to date with our socials for further announcements.

ERC721 Digital Collectibles, which are not related in any way to player progression, are represented as cosmetic items, emotes and similar in-game.

If you have any further questions, please refer to our [FAQ](https://embersword.com/#alpha-land-sale-faq) which will help you along the way!

## Get on the insider list to be informed first!

That's all for now! Be sure you are [registered](https://embersword.com/#modal=create-account) with us to get the latest updates via our newsletter. We will inform you with further details around the sales, and of course, follow us on our socials to get insider knowledge of the game updates and further opportunities we have coming this year. We have more big time announcements coming soon!
> 
> White Paper --- [https://embersword.com/whitepaper](https://embersword.com/whitepaper)
> 
> Discord --- [https://discord.com/invite/embersword](https://discord.com/invite/embersword)
> 
> Twitter --- [https://twitter.com/playembersword](https://twitter.com/playembersword)
> 
> Instagram --- [https://www.instagram.com/officialembersword](https://www.instagram.com/officialembersword)
> 
> Reddit --- [https://www.reddit.com/r/EmberSword](https://www.reddit.com/r/EmberSword)
> 
> Facebook --- [https://www.facebook.com/PlayEmberSword](https://www.facebook.com/PlayEmberSword)
> 
> Linkedin --- [https://www.linkedin.com/company/brightstar-studios](https://www.linkedin.com/company/brightstar-studios)
> 
> Twitch --- [https://www.twitch.tv/EmberSword](https://www.twitch.tv/EmberSword)

## DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY

Disclaimer: Bright Star never provides advice on anything (OTHER than pure in-game topics); Statements made --- on any platform or media --- from our community team, or anyone else outside of our community are never to be used as advice and in particular legal or financial advice. Please find our [full disclaimer](https://embersword.com/terms-and-conditions) in our terms and conditions for the Land sale.

A Chance to Own Your Piece of the Solarwood Landscape

Ember Sword’s Alpha Land Sale:

**That's right, you heard correctly, Ember Sword is officially in Alpha!**

The team has been working hard to develop our features, improve our backend technology and create amazing experiences for our community.

As we mentioned in the last post, we are going to be holding public Playtests this year --- one in April and one in August.

We are excited to be at a stage in our development journey where we can begin to open our doors to our future players, partners and our wider community.

At [Bright Star Studios](https://brightstar.studio/), our vision is to revolutionize how great games are played and accessed for players around the world. It's time to reimagine the game.

As we welcome in more and more players this year, we believe that through these Playtests the community will be able to see the progress we have made in our game development and to be able to experience some of the features we love. Of course, our amazing proprietary engine, which will allow for the game to run on any device, anywhere in the world down to a 3G+ connection within seconds. No downloads, no patches, no waiting!

## WHAT DOES ALPHA MEAN?

Alpha, for us, means that we are still tinkering! We are testing our core features, our infrastructure and stability. We are also still polishing the art style, NPCs and creatures --- you will see this progress really evolving from the April test all the way through to the playtest we have coming up in August. In short, we are not finished just yet.

DEFINITION OF GAME PHASE: ALPHA
> 
> Core Feature Testing & Greenlight In-Progress
> 
> On-Going Technical Tests for Infrastructure & Stability
> 
> Expect Some Instability While Testing
> 
> Expect Some Minor Latency Delays
> 
> Unbalanced Game, Art Is Subject To Further Changes

## WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE?

Our upcoming Playtests are open to anyone who is registered with an Ember Sword account. If you do not have an account, please [sign up now](https://embersword.com/) in order to receive further communications regarding the tests.

The upcoming Playtest will operate on a first come first serve basis. This means that not everyone will be able to participate as we have a limited window over a few days. However, fear not! If you cannot participate in this test due to high volumes of demand, we will be sharing dates for the next Playtest scheduled for August soon.

## WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT?

For those who have not participated in a Playtest test before, let us help you to understand what to expect, shall we?

It is very important to note that the Alpha Playtest is not in any way a finished version of the game. Like many other Alpha stage demos, its purpose is to examine various systems (such as online connectivity), test features, gameplay and questlines.

There will not be a limited area for you to play in Solarwood, but you do have a limited time that you are able to play (up to 30 minutes) as we want to be sure we can let as many people experience the Playtest as possible.

During the Playtest, players will be able to experience five main quests that will take them through a range of gameplay mechanics. The quests will involve PvE combat, resource collection, crafting, and will culminate in the player arriving at the capitol where they will meet Rashi, our loveable Solarwood town crier.

In addition to the 5 main questlines, if you still have time remaining, feel free to explore the vast open world of Ember Sword, which is filled with hidden treasures, secret locations, and challenging enemies to defeat.

PLAYERS WILL BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN 5 MAIN QUESTLINES:

* "The Capital" --- This questline will take players through PvE combat, resource collection, and crafting, culminating in their arrival at the capital city of Esthar where they will meet the NPC Rashi.
* "A Crafting Expedition" --- This questline will involve more crafting and resource collection, taking players on a journey through the game's wilderness.
* "The Bandit Threat" --- This questline will focus on PvE combat, challenging players to take on a group of bandits and complete other objectives.
* "The Treasure Hunt" --- This questline will involve exploration and puzzle-solving as players search for valuable treasures hidden throughout the game world.
* "The Arena" --- This questline will focus on PvP combat, allowing players to compete against each other in an arena-style setting.

Each questline is designed to offer a unique experience, giving players a chance to engage with different gameplay mechanics and explore different parts of the game world.

Once you have finished playing, you will be encouraged to particpate in a feedback survey --- and we would love to hear what you think!

Map of Alpha Playtest Area

![0_ZIyv9xs0ClkTrxSg.jpg](/cms/images/0_Z_Iyv9xs0_Clk_Trx_Sg_3b4c204ed2.jpg)

## WHAT DO I NEED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TEST?

1. You will need a verified Ember Sword account (verified meaning activated via email after [signing up](https://embersword.com/)).
2. Once you have these credentials, you will be able to receive the communications necessary to enter the game.

If you do not have an Ember Sword account, you can register one on our [website](https://embersword.com/). We do recommend signing up now, so you are ready to go once the PlayTest starts.

## HOW CAN I GIVE EMBER SWORD MY FEEDBACK?

We would LOVE to hear from you! Once you complete the test, we will send you to a feedback location for you to tell us about your experience. Please be honest. We value our community feedback and the more you share with us, the more we can improve upon player experiences.

As an added perk, we will be randomly selecting a small group of people who participate in feedback to win an official Ember Sword merch pack!

## WHEN DOES THE PLAYTEST START?

Players will get two opportunities to participate in the Playtest. They will be placed in a queue on a first come, first serve basis. We chose that approach to ensure the stability of the test, and to ensure those who are in-game have the best experience possible.

The planned testing windows are:

PlayTest 1 --- April 18th, 2023--10:00 CEST --- 23:59 CEST

PlayTest 2 --- April 19th, 2023--10:00 CEST --- 23:59 CEST

We will be conducting a live stream the day before the playtest. You will want to tune into this one, because our Senior Community Manager Thor Østenkær and Ember Sword Game Director Max Zimnukhov will sit down for a Q&A Ember Sword stream while showcasing the current Alpha gameplay state. The streams will take place on April 17th over at our [Twitch channel](https://www.twitch.tv/embersword) and later uploaded as full VoD on our [Youtube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCngbnaUTzIFwTS8wGFYZt8Q). See you there!

## WILL I BE ABLE TO PLAY THE ENTIRE GAME?

Not all of it. As mentioned, this is an Alpha Playtest and things are very much still a work in progress. While you will not be restricted to an area within Solarwood, you will have a limited window to complete the questlines.

## WILL THE GRAPHICS BE FINAL?

Not just yet, but we are getting closer! Typically at this Alpha stage in testing and development, graphics and artwork will not be their final, polished version, owing to the nature and purpose of the test.

## ARE THERE ANY TECHNICAL LIMITATIONS?

Our game runs on almost anything, however for this particular Playtest, to have the optimal experience, you may want to have these minimal requirements:

* 3G+ connection
* Mid tier computer with the minimum version of Chrome 108 (11--29--2022), Edge 108 (12--05--2022)

I am so excited to share these Playtests with you all. We really appreciate everybody's continued interest in the development of Ember Sword, and we are super grateful to those among you who are going to help us test the game in these earlier stages.

Thank you for being a part of our mission to change the way people experience and play games. As passionate gamers ourselves, we strive everyday to bring you the experiences you deserve!

As always, to stay up-to-date on all things Ember Sword, make sure to follow us on our socials:

Discord --- [https://discord.com/invite/embersword](https://discord.com/invite/embersword)

Twitter --- [https://twitter.com/playembersword](https://twitter.com/playembersword)

Instagram --- [https://www.instagram.com/officialembersword](https://www.instagram.com/officialembersword)

Reddit --- [https://www.reddit.com/r/EmberSword](https://www.reddit.com/r/EmberSword)

Facebook --- [https://www.facebook.com/PlayEmberSword](https://www.facebook.com/PlayEmberSword)

Linkedin --- [https://www.linkedin.com/company/brightstar-studios](https://www.linkedin.com/company/brightstar-studios)

Twitch --- [https://www.twitch.tv/EmberSword](https://www.twitch.tv/EmberSword)

EMBER SWORD’S ALPHA PLAYTEST — HOW TO PARTICIPATE

2022 was a year of change and evolution for the gaming and technology industries. The gaming sector continues to show tremendous growth, and the tech industry seems to be evolving on a day to day basis with the explosion of AI. The rapidly evolving blockchain and digital currency industry... well... it can be difficult to navigate. While there has been a lot of white noise swirling around us, we remained laser-focused on our core values and mission: to create better experiences for players, developers, and partners. It was a good year for our development, a lot has been achieved, and we are running full speed into 2023 with great positivity and eagerness.

I want to take the time to talk about what we have been doing at Bright Star Studios, where we are going and why it is important to forge better experiences for players, developers, partners and more. Of course, also Ember Sword --- why it will be fun, why our team and systems are focused solely around fun gameplay. And lastly, I wanted to reveal a little secret of ours we have been keeping under wraps...

## For the uninitiated, let's start from the beginning...

In 2018, we embarked on an ambitious journey to create an MMORPG that would revolutionize the way people experience games online. As devout players ourselves, we recognized that accessibility, long downloads, tedious installs, patching and the black market were major pain points for both developers and players --- and knew that we could do better.

We initially started working with a well-known engine company, who promised us they would have the technology ready for us to execute our vision for accessibility and high performance anywhere within 2 years tops. Unfortunately, when it came down to it, they realized they could not actually do what they promised. They would need to completely start from scratch --- something they were not willing to do. So... just like that, we were on our own. Were we frustrated? Sure. But we did not question for a second that our vision to improve experiences for everyone, no matter where they lived or what technology they have access to, was the right one.

Project SERIUS engine was born. It wasn't our first engine, as a team we have developed and worked on 5 engines in total, but none of them could do what this one can do. It solves a TON of issues with the current stagnant model, it is faster, it is stronger, and it is going to create a massive impact in the market.

As we developed Project SERIUS for Ember Sword, we discovered that its capabilities extended far beyond gaming. It has the potential to transform multiple industries and create a more seamless and enjoyable experience for users everywhere.

We are incredibly excited about the possibilities Project SERIUS brings and can't wait to share it with the world. More on this to come, but now I want to talk about our flagship game in development, Ember Sword.

![1_ezSMAyIlx2XYpqBJ1hwIzw.webp](/cms/images/1_ez_SM_Ay_Ilx2_X_Ypq_BJ_1hw_Izw_221fbf9733.webp)

## What is Ember Sword?

![1_Dx59_XJqSzYWdc5rzT_bew.webp](/cms/images/1_Dx59_X_Jq_Sz_Y_Wdc5rz_T_bew_6c77ef398a.webp)

As we embark on this journey to revolutionize the world of online gaming, we're thrilled to share more on our latest title: Ember Sword, a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) that is truly pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Ember Sword provides an immersive, fast-paced experience that can be instantly accessed from any device. With stunning graphics, a wide range of customisation options, and intense real-time combat, this game offers a truly unique gaming experience. Players can explore a vast world full of adventure, mystery, and danger, while joining forces with friends and allies to achieve victory.

This is a gaming experience which is, no joke, playable on any device across the globe, within 10 seconds, down to a 3G+ connection. It's a mix of the fast-paced combat of aRPGs, combined with the isometric view and skill-based abilities of MOBAs, set in a persistent MMORPG fantasy universe. It was created, like most great ideas, out of a lot of frustration. We were sick of lengthy downloads and patches. We were tired of gaming for thousands of hours and seeing the big corporations, the behemoths, reap all the value that we, the community, created, or worse, seeing it stolen by shady characters on the black market. And finally, we were annoyed with the fact that although games have great peak experiences, much of the gameplay loops are still an unengaging grind.

* What if we could create a fun and highly social game with all the features we love and make it accessible to anyone in the world, no matter where they are from?
* What if we could make our own engine --- one that actually makes developing the game and the entire player experience easy?
* What if we could help to eliminate the black market and bring things to the surface with complete transparency, giving players complete control over their own digital assets?

So, we started building in 2018 with the vision of "fun gameplay first" over everything else. We created a world that is ever changing --- where players can opt in to control parts of the game, such as capitals, cities, towns and villages. Games these days are formulaic, a bit stale, and the game world never changes. You could be playing any popular MMO and the capital cities where everyone congregates would stay the same for a decade, sometimes multiple decades with little to almost zero change.

Having player-owned land makes the game always feel fresh and vibrant, and we split profits with those who help keep the game alive, as it should be. We also use AI to generate events on the fly, sort of like an AI-GameMaster, which always is trying to make sure you are challenged. It uses machine learning to, well, learn from the players within the game, studying their behavior in order to try and deliver them an epic experience, or simply a relaxed one if that is more the style a player would be seeking.

**A FOCUS ON "FUN GAMEPLAY FIRST"**

Ember Sword features multiple continents in one big shared world. It is highly social, with plenty of community based and guild-friendly features. Such as for example, if you are a streamer, we use integrated streaming methods which saves you bandwidth because we will be streaming the game directly to your choice of platform, like Twitch or YouTube, rather than you having to stream both the game and your own feed at the same time. You are going to be exploring various types of biomes, in a fantasy world where nothing is off limits, so you will have to keep your wits about you.

It is classless, meaning that you don't need to adhere to any sort of special build or abilities in order to have fun or join a guild etc. How you play, and your playstyle is completely up to you and what matters is how you apply yourself. This is a playstyle we know is very hard to achieve, as having a class based system makes game development and balancing a whole lot easier to create, and hence why it is the preferred choice of developers --- but we believe that this also limits people's creativity. It limits how they can participate in events, and not to mention, limits their fun, because who wants to be shoehorned into playing a specific role, or having only specific abilities. It also means that you cannot buy your way to the top. You have to have a lot of skill and talent to get there.

There is going to be a wealth of PvE and PvP experiences to enjoy. From the open world featuring a plethora of challenging quests, creature encounters, crafting and forging, to the cavernous dungeons for groups and raids which require cooperative play in order to be completed. We want our players to get social, which we will achieve through competitive content throughout the vast world --- which is going to be big, 16x16km² to be exact.

Of course all of this will be done in the browser --- but make no mistake --- this is not just another browser game. This is a fully functioning highly competitive MMORPG. Having a game accessible via the browser is made possible by our own proprietary engine, Project SERIUS which allows for much higher accessibility, allowing hundreds of millions of users to enjoy it as opposed to a few million.

## The importance of a transparent and self sustaining in-game economy

As gamers ourselves, we have taken all the best features from all the games we love, and put them into Ember Sword. The combat, questing, raids and in-game economy is going to be epic. The whole economy is designed around not giving, excuse my language, a rat's ass about the state of the world economy, about crypto, nor about the markets. We have from the get-go designed Ember Sword to have its own self-sustaining ecosystem. We care first about fun.

**THERE IS NO BUY IN --- AND YOU CANNOT PAY TO ADVANCE OR WIN IN THE GAME.**

Focused on a positive player experience with the economy, we will release a set amount of digital collectibles into the game every month --- based on the amount of active players (which will be minted on-chain) and then spread out through gameplay encounters and other achievements. This allows for maximum scarcity, and previously mentioned transparency, because everyone can see what is being minted, how many, and even be able to see the individual minting number of collectibles. For example, a player can have the first hat \#1 of out of perhaps \#1000 hats.

This means that we, as developers, do not need to waste any time worrying about what sells, nor what will be profitable for the future. We only need to ensure this is a fun experience for everyone.

We also considered harmful bots, and bot farming when we initially came up with the strategy and concept for the game --- because if you have easily achievable collectibles, or items, like in most MMORPGs, you will attract a horde of botters, and player farms to exploit these methods to gain a profit. However, by making items less of a chore, focusing more on gameplay and personal gameplay style, we severely hinder the use and need for bots --- because no one is going to buy these items on black markets when there is no need for it. And collectibles? Well, bots aren't going to be able to farm them, as they will require you to actively participate in the gameplay. To sprinkle on top of all of that, we also use AI to monitor the game to make sure we keep botting to an absolute minimum.

## Blockchain. Is it really needed? What does it add to your game?

Ember Sword is a Free To Play game which utilizes blockchain technology to ensure transparency and rightful ownership of digital collectables. It's not a game made because of blockchain, nor do you need any experience using the technology. You will not need to know how to operate a digital wallet, nor will you be asked to buy anything upfront at all.

We use blockchain because it gives us the advantages of an open ledger, where we and our users can track everything, transparently and openly, creating much more trust between us and the end user. We cannot cheat our community by recreating old collectibles and rereleasing them, because players would be able to see them minted. And furthermore, the economy of the game is contained within a token, where again, everything is transparent. There isn't really much difference from any other MMORPG with its own in-game premium currency, and an auction house or marketplace for items. The only difference here is that we allow players to trade if they so wish, easier tracking, a trusted system where everyone feels more like a true member of the community.

Furthermore, we use the chain to record your item's unique history in-game. This means that when you attach one of your collectibles to your character, they will begin to generate a history of what has been achieved with them. From epic moments where you defeat monsters, bosses and encounters, to special occasions. Say goodbye to boring old memories, say hello to sharing those epic moments forever!

![0_R4axtcyPoZ5sY5ya.png](/cms/images/0_R4axtcy_Po_Z5s_Y5ya_49afc6ac88.png)

## Now. Let's get onto Project SERIUS. Why is this engine a 'game changer'?

The technology behind Ember Sword, our homemade proprietary engine, Project SERIUS, is a next generation piece of technology which allows for major improvements across a number of different sectors --- not least for gaming. What sets this game engine apart from others on the market is its speed and scalability. Our engine can process large volumes of data quickly and efficiently, allowing developers to create complex and immersive gaming experiences with a fraction of the time and cost required by other engines.

It allows for easier, more cost effective development which is completely accessible on any browser app or device. This means that any player in any region, down to a 3G+ connection, can now play a AAA game without delay, and without having to wait several days for a download and install to go through. This allows Project SERIUS to penetrate markets previously untapped due to a lack of bandwidth or more technical limitations. Game changer.

Today there is still a lot of stigma surrounding games delivered through a browser, as in the past, these games used to be made with for example flash, and were usually, very simple, especially in terms of graphics. In today's world however, the browser is perfectly capable of delivering high end experiences --- the only limitations here are the technology available through the browser, which in turn is what needs to keep evolving. And it absolutely has evolved, with the emergence and optimization of wonderful applications such as WebGPU, WebAssembly etc, which allows for better performance and development on the web.

If you imagine your browser as a terminal, you can start to imagine that with an internet connection, and if everyone had decent bandwidth with somewhat decent computers, you could deliver practically anything through this 'terminal'. I personally envision that in the future we won't even need an operating system, (like Windows) and instead we will only have terminals (literally browsers) where everything we need is delivered through. From apps for Photo Editing, Music Editing Software, to Video Editing, practically anything you can think of could be directly, smoothly, and safely delivered right to you through your little terminal window. This limits the need for all of us to have huge harddrives, or even massive computer towers. We truly believe this is the future, and that we, as Project SERIUS developers, are absolutely working towards.

Right now, Project SERIUS is focused on developing and delivering experiences for games, starting with Ember Sword. But we are already getting it ready for multiple other industries where it can do wonders. From enabling much better video streaming (think faster/better way of loading and playing videos on streaming platforms) delivering users specific experiences for retail applications, augmented and virtual reality, to automobile solutions and home improvement. All of these sectors can make good use of instantly delivered experiences that are platform agnostic --- available to reach more people around the world. Game changer.

**WHAT'S COMING IN 2023 FOR EMBER SWORD?**

This year, we are going to be showing off a lot more of the game. From game quest loops, more of the open world, a full dungeon experience all with groups enabled, world bosses, fun encounters and puzzles for you to solve and defeat. It is going.. to be.. Glorious!

![0_9iEDoBRwh8v4nnns.png](/cms/images/0_9i_E_Do_B_Rwh8v4nnns_c47934621d.png)

What we have in the pipeline, is at first, the good basics of what every great MMORPG needs. We will release a small section of the current game world where you will get to experience how quests work, the various biomes you will come across within the first nation called Solarwood. You will get to see how pieces of player-owned land can look, learn how our fun and intricate crafting system works, and experience some PVE. There will be a variety of monsters to hunt and defeat, and finally you will have to team up with others to take down a world boss, which is a monster type which spawns out in the open world, and requires multiple people to take down. This also includes having fun in the Arenas, which will be the PVP experience, where you can do anything from 1vs1 to 2vs2, 3vs3 and so on.

![0_gY3stDBtNBz4pVQy.png](/cms/images/0_g_Y3st_D_Bt_N_Bz4p_V_Qy_423db3a436.png)

Which leads me to the final part, combat, where we hope that you will enjoy the various types of skills and abilities introduced to begin with, from dual wielding cool "pistols", to the more traditional sword and board warrior, to cool magicians throwing spells. There'll be a bit of everything for everyone.

The goal is to have something in your hands around April --- don't kill me if the timeline changes a bit, it is game development after all --- and then again after the summer where we plan on having a really fun dungeon experience ready for you to try out.

![0_qaUPftJreHXmxi4l.png](/cms/images/0_qa_U_Pft_Jre_H_Xmxi4l_7598815149.png)

Personally I cannot wait to finally show all of you what we have in store. It has been a few years of development, both for Ember Sword and Project SERIUS Engine. We continue to make great strides further in this ever changing world, and despite the current turbulent market. 2023 is going to be THE year for Bright Star Studios as we edge closer and closer towards the first release of Ember Sword. I know you all are going to love it.

We will continue to communicate more details as to what exactly you are going to experience in the upcoming features tests and demos. We are also going to talk more about Project SERIUS, and why exactly it is a piece of marvellous technology, both for game developers, and gamers alike.

Thank you for your on-going support and we appreciate each and every one of you.

Always remember, even in the darkest of nights, the stars shine the brightest.

**Mark Laursen --- Founder and CEO**

**Bright Star Studios**

Bright Star Studios: Forging Better Experiences in Gaming and Technology in 2023 & Beyond

The time is upon us once again! That's right, Thanabus Cup 3 is happening --- bigger, better, wilder, with more prizes and live events than ever before. In this post, we will be going over a brief introduction to what Thanabus Cup is, the story of the premiere Ember Sword event so far, and giving you a little teaser for this third iteration, which is kicking off at the end of the month. Let's get into it!

## Thanabus Cup Overview

For those that might not be familiar with it, the Thanabus Cup is an event hosted on the [Ember Sword Discord server](http://discord.gg/embersword), and it pits all four nations against each other in a fierce, if at times unconventional, competition. The Cup is designed to strike a healthy balance between events which let an individual's talent shine through and those that require every member of a nation to band together and work towards achieving that week's goal. Those goals can range from meme creation to a streamed [marble racing event](https://youtu.be/HhHOVlNLaJw), involving multiple hundreds of participants at once. You never quite know what you'll get with the Thanabus Cup, and we're very much intending to keep that tradition going with the threequel.

Of course, an event as epic as the Thanabus Cup requires some equally exciting prizes. Historically, a community member received a reward, either because they won an individual challenge or because they were selected by a random draw to be that week's winner. Furthermore, they received the unique "Competition Winner 🏆" Discord role and, more importantly, the glory and admiration that comes with it! The winning nation also got their name engraved on the actual, physical Thanabus Cup, which is proudly displayed in our head office in Aarhus, Denmark. This time around, however, things will be a bit different, but more on that later.

The first Thanabus Cup was a wild time for us here at Bright Star Studios. The idea was novel and hadn't really been done before, especially not on a platform such as Discord. It featured some fan favorite competitions --- create an in-game item, meme and art competitions, etc. and was ultimately won by Solarwood after 10 weeks of fierce competition.

The second Cup was bigger, better and crazier, implementing live streamed events, such as a building competition and marble races. The leader was constantly changing right up to the last competition, where Ediseau narrowly secured victory from Solarwood.

If all of that sounds intense, just wait until you see what we have in store next.

![1_2MX4Hj_g8ljWy2aHu2OJCg.webp](/cms/images/1_2_MX_4_Hj_g8lj_Wy2a_Hu2_OJ_Cg_1d8a547695.webp)

## Thanabus Cup 3

We are going all out with this third installment, having learned a lot from the first two iterations of the event.

### So, what's different this time around?

The most obvious change is the number of competitions, as this time around we've elected to host 7 of them, as opposed to the so far traditional 10\. We wanted this cup to feel more dynamic and action-packed, so we adopted this quality over quantity approach.

If we had to sum up TC3 in one word it would be: streams.  
Or if you want to get fancy with it and use double the words then it would be: more streams. Almost half of the competitions this time around will be live streamed, and we've racked our brains as hard as we could to create the wackiest, most unconventional streamed competitions to ever occur this side of Thanabus.

And last, but definitely not least, there's the prizes.  
The rewards are always an exciting part of the Thanabus Cup and, without giving too much away, we can say that like everything else about TC3 --- the prizes are bigger, better and more exciting!

Thanabus Cup 3 kicks off on November 29 with a very special first competition. To make sure you're prepared, [join our Discord server](http://discord.gg/embersword) and pick a nation, so that you're ready to go when the first competition starts!

We have high expectations for this cup, and we hope that you enjoy participating just as much as we enjoyed putting this together for you over the past months.

We'll see you on the field!

Thanabus Cup 3 Announcement

## A Word From Our Founders

As we rapidly head towards the end of the year, we wanted to take a moment and reflect on what has been a tremendous 12 months for us here at Bright Star Studios. We continue to be humbled by the passion and dedication of our community. You are what drives us to do better, to make the best decisions possible, and to ensure a long-lasting and thrilling experience for everyone. So once again...we appreciate each and every one of you!

### Upgrading Our Technology

It has been an incredible year of growth for the development of Ember Sword. We have taken major steps with our backend technology, scaling our infrastructure, improving security and officially moving development over to our own proprietary engine, which allows us to do so much more than before.

### Improving Blockchain Experiences

We have also launched our exchange migration to Immutable X, which will have massive speed and responsiveness for transactions, increased accessibility, improved security, the ability to pay with a credit card, and more. Additionally, upon migration, users will benefit from changing their ERC-1155 to non-fungible ERC-721, making each of them fully unique. All in all, this is another step towards making Ember Sword secure and, more importantly, accessible to as many people as possible.

While these steps in technology are not always visible, they require a great deal of work internally, and they are absolutely essential to securing the foundation of our game.

### Expanding Our Team & Community

As you have seen, we have added some incredible talent to the team. Hailing from brands such as Blizzard, Riot Games, King, Digital Arrow, Discovery, CD Projekt Red and Disney, the newly appointed leadership team brings a wealth of experience and passion to the studio. If you didn't see our announcement on this, please find it [here](https://medium.com/embersword/bright-star-studios-appoints-leadership-team-as-it-prepares-the-studio-for-next-stage-of-global-96e773cb1a38).

With this amazing group of people on board, this means that we are officially at the scale up stage, and we have been working very hard behind the scenes to build the very best foundation for the player experience for our community.

### Game Design

Our imaginative artists, engineers and game designers have been working hard to move to the next stages of the game's art development. As you know, Solarwood will be the first nation we will be releasing, and before the end of this year, we will be announcing a first look reveal of some of Solarwood's characters! This includes one of the more important figures we'll be meeting in Solarwood, the Town Crier, as well as a notorious Bandit and a seasoned Smith. We will also be sharing a bit more about Solarwood's culture, politics and some of the creatures you might come across during your adventures.

## Ember Sword In Progress!

As part of our WIP Wednesdays, we are so pleased to reveal a further demo video for you all here today. This is just a sliver of what is to come!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jPcbovVosmY?si=BSuya4lpZDybuYLs" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Thanabus Cup
We will also be holding our 3rd edition of the highly competitive Thanabus Cup! Once again, our four nations of Thanabus will compete against each other in a multi-week challenge for their chance to win prizes and carve their name on the Thanabus Cup itself. The competition draws in thousands of community members and this time around there are some special surprises in store, with news coming very soon, so stay tuned!

The Year Ahead
Towards the beginning next year we will be releasing a features testing schedule with our community! It is hugely important for us to develop our game alongside you all, and we are thrilled to be able to receive and implement your valuable feedback for the best features of our game. Once community features testing is well underway, we will be in a great position to move to the Alpha stage of development.

DEFINITION OF GAME PHASE: ALPHA
Core Feature Testing & Greenlight In-Progress
On-Going Technical Tests for Infrastructure & Stability
Expected Instability While Testing
Unpolished Game And Subject To Further Changes Development
Of course, after Alpha comes Beta, right? Well, during the Beta stage, we aim to release a first edition of our White Paper with the community. Here you’ll be able to find more information about gameplay features, the in-game economy, our in-game tokenomics (off-chain and on-chain systems), as well as other important information about what will be possible throughout your experiences playing the game.

After the White Paper and during the Beta stage, we will also aim to release our in-game token, Ember. This custom-built ERC-20 token is designed to allow players to trade rare collectables and cosmetics within the game, including land, cosmetics, pets and mounts. More to come on this when we release the White Paper. During this time, all of our current badge holders will be able to claim their badges and begin to release their tokens. *subject to regional legislation

Of course, we will also be releasing our first gameplay trailer during the next year as well. We can’t wait to share it with you all, as it’s going to be a really special one.

And finally, we always want to add that none of this would be possible without your continued support. Thank you for being a part of our mission to change the industry for the better. As passionate gamers ourselves, we strive everyday to bring you the experiences you deserve and dream of!

Thank you, and enjoy the upcoming holiday season!

Sincerely,

Bright Star Studios and The Ember Sword Community Team

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Community Year End Wrap Up

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EMBER SWORD’S ALPHA PLAYTEST — HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Bright Star Studios: Forging Better Experiences in Gaming and Technology in 2023 & Beyond

Thanabus Cup 3 Announcement

Community Year End Wrap Up

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